Apparatus for drying proofed and like fabrics or materials.



v J. SPENLE. APPARATUS roa DRYING PBOOFED AND LIKE FABBIGS on MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED F2129, 190B. RENEWED JUNE 30, 1910. 967,076, PatentedAug. 9, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

"1' H I Macaw By %W @ZZ%,

J. SPENLE.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING PROOFED AND LIKHFABRIGS 0R MATERIALS. APPLICATIONFILED P3129, 190a. RENEWED mm: 30, 1910.

967,,UF6 Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. SPE E'. APPARATUS FOR DRYING PROOFED AND LIKE FABRICS 0B MATERIALS.

fientea Aug. 9,1910.

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APPLICATION FILED FEB.29, 1908. RENEWED JUNE 30, 1910.

aw d J. S PENLE, APPARATUS FOR DRYING PROOFI-ID AND LIKE FABRICS 0RMATERIALS APPLICATION FILED FEB.29, 1908. RENEWED JUNE 30, 1910. QWFMWGPatented Aug. 9, 1910.

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JOHN SPENLE, 0F ,SALFORD, ENGLAND.

arrnnarus non DRYING rnoornn Am) LIKE rnsnrcs on mn'rnnrnns.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

Application filed February 29, 1908, Serial No. 418,619. Renewed June30, 1910. Serial No. 569,692.

5 ford, in the county of Lancaster, England,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forDrying Proofed and Like Fabrics or Materials, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to apparatus employed for drying proofed or likefabrics or materials which may have been treated with india-rubber,gutta-percha, oxidized oil's, pyroxylin, shellac or other substancesheld in solution or containing volatile solvents or fluids asethers,benzenes, and spirits. 1n the drying operation the volatilesolvents vaporize and produce noxious and inflammable vapors. The latterhave heretofore been drawn olf from the drying chamber and condensed,but with such method it is necessary to use pumps or exhausters andsurface condensers, and on account of air being drawn into the apparatusby the exhausting actionof the pumps, a very large .volumewf fluid hasto be dealt with, necessitating the use of unnecessarily large pumps andcondensers for the.- quantity' of solvent recovered Moreover, on accountof the condensation of the moisture contained in the air drawn into thedrying chamber as aforesaid, the volatile "solvents recovered may beconside'rablyibelow full concentratibn. s L.

The object of my invention is to produce an apparatus capable of notonly drying the f'abrlc or material assing therethrough and ofevaporating th volatile "solvents, but of condensin such solvents, theoperation of condensatlon being performed without the use of umps orother exhausting appliances and without the volatile solvents, whenrecovered, being diluted or rendered impure in the manner beforedescribed.

My invention comprises the combination i deemed. by contact with thecooling surfaces in the'manner hereinafter described. Referring to thetwo accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings :-Figure 1 illustratesone convenientapplication of my invention and Figs. 2, 3, and5threemodifled applications ofsame.

with a drying'chamber or its equivalent The same reference-letters inthe difi'erent views indicate the same or similar parts.

In Fig. 1, my invention is shown as applied to a drying chamber used inconjunc tion with a printing machine a, in which volatile solventsare'employed to hold the printing materials in solution. I place withina the, drymg chamber 6 suitable steam chests (2, arranged vertically,for drying the fabric 0? by contact or by radiation in its passagethrough the chamber. I prefer to give the fabric in such passage avoluteor like path as shownso as to obtain a long drying sur face, in the wellknown manner, before the face of thefabric comes into contact with.

the guiding rollers g. The walls ofthe drying chamber 6 are suitablycooled as by means of a jacket. By thismeans as the be hollow as shownand be steam heated to revent condensation thereon, as the conenters andpasses out of the drying chamber at its lower end as shown to preventthe escape of the hot vapors which tend to rise to the top of theapparatus.

The apparatus illustrated at Fig. 1 may be used inconjunction with apadding, coating, spreading orlike machine instead of with a printingmachine as illustrated.

In addition to' cooling the walls of the dry ingchamber as in theexample illustrated at V Fig. 1, I may, asshownj at Fig. 2, placecoolingchests or pipes it between the folds of the fabric and extendo'neof the troughs or re ceptacles c to enable it to receive the condensedsolvent which trickles down the surfaceof h. The top or upper end.fofthe chamber 6 in this case is made withsloping sides and steam ispassed through the con duit-formed'at the top thereof as shown so as tokeep the top of the apparatus sufliciently warm to prevent pondensationtherepn,v The drying chamber 1n thls case is used inzicon-V.

junction'with a spreading machine In the apparatus illustrated at Fi.32, the

fabric passes in close proximity to -t cheating cheststor pipes c andthe vapors 1 toward the top in order to restrict, as far as possible,the exit for the escape of vapors which tend to rise to the top of thechamber. I may close a portion ofthe upper end of the drying chamber bby a detachable cover j. If'the material is to be passed through thedrying chamber several times, it is formed into a continuous web andpasses through the drying chamber, and then back thereto as indicated indotted lines.

When a horizontal drying apparatus is employed in conjunction withspreading 'or like devices, as used for example in indiarubber j andother proofing works, and as illustrated at Figs. 4 and 5 (thelatterview being-takenat right angles to the former) I place the heatingchests or pipes 0 within a suitable'casing is having therein one or morecooling chests or pipes as h and troughs e or their equivalent, as inthe forms of apparatus before described, the top portion of" the casingis being arranged as shown to insurethat no drops of condensed solventshall fall on to the material 03, being dried. I prefer however toemploy a "vertical form v of drying chamber as illustrated at ,Figs. 1,2, 3 and 4, for with the horizontal form only the upper heating surfaceof the drying chests can be su 'ciently taken advantage of, whereas inthe vertical form the whole surface of theheating elements can beusefull employed.

en pipes are employed as cooling surfaces in the drying chamber, Ipreferably arran e-the same in aserpentine or circuitous" ormation butwith sufficient vertical length between each bend as to insure that thedrops of condensed solvent, which collect thereon at the upper end ofthe drying chamber, can trickle down the pipes to the troughs orreceptacles, as e, at the bottom of such chamber.

By means of my improved apparatus, I

am enabled to recover in practically full concentration the solventsemployed in the printing .or other operation, and thus to renderpossible the use of such solvents which have heretofore been consideredtoo costly and dangerous for, ordinary work.

I prefer 'tfo'{arrange that the; rate of cooling can be adjusted atwill, as for example by regulating the temperature" of the coolingfluid, so as not to set up too rapid cooling,

which, by reducing the pressure in the drying chamber, may induce air toenter the latter to take the place of the gases condensed therein andcause the disadvantages hereinbefore referred to.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and. desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In apparatus for recovering volatilesolvents or fluids contained in proofed and like fabrics or materials,in combination, an open chamber through which the wet treated fabric ormaterial is passed,'means for heating and for cooling the interior ofsaid chamber, and means passing said fabric or material in closeproximity to the surface of said heated means and at a distance fromsaid cooling means, substantially as set forth.

2. In apparatus for recovering volatile solvents or fluids contained inproofed and like fabrics or materials, in combination, a chamber intowhich the wet treated fabric or material is passed, heating and coolingelements within said chamber, and means giving the fabric or material avolute like path through said chamber, substantially as set forth.

3. In apparatus for recovering volatile solvents or fluids contained inproofed and like fabrics or materials, in combination, a chamber, aplurality of heating and cooling elements arranged alternately with oneanother within the said chamber,means giving the fabric or material avolute like path through said chamber and directing it between theheating and cooling elements, and receptacles for the condense solvent,in close roximity to the surface of said heating e ements, substantiallyas set forth.

4. In apparatus, for recovering volatile solvents or fluids contained inproofed and like fabrics or materials, in combination, a chamber havingits upper end open, a Inrality of heatin and cooling elements a ter- 10onately dispose in the said chamber and converging toward the upper endthereof, means for passing the fabric or material 'between ad acentheating and cooling sur-

